


Counting Down the Days

by scalaeu



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, M/M, Modern AU, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, homunculi mafia au, small group chat elements as well cause the homunculi having a group chat is fun as well, the homunculi are human and running some shit. its a time, theres both platonic and romantic timers in this, we have edvy planned but its not the focus nor has it showed up yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:21:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23194660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scalaeu/pseuds/scalaeu
Summary: Solaris Sinclair, more formally known by her codename Lust, is a 22-year-old who works for her father's "company". Though previously anxious about the single timer ticking down on her wrist, more questions arise when she finds out her soulmate is a mysterious gentleman in a white suit who just happens to know her brother, Selim. Just how will her relationship with her soulmate develop, and how can she be herself while hiding her true occupation?
Relationships: Edward Elric/Envy, Envy & Zolf J. Kimblee, Greed & Ling Yao, Zolf J. Kimblee/Lust
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! This was written with my friend, Luna (robinazure3529). Heres some notes about this au:  
> \- It's set in modern times. Roughly now.  
> \- The homunculi are human, but still maintain a presence in modern Amestris by running the mafia.  
> \- Pride/Selim is 26, Lust/Solaris 22, Greed is 20, Envy is 17, Sloth is 15, Gluttony is 14, and Wrath is 13. Wrath takes the appearance of 2003 Wrath rather than a younger Bradley.  
> \- It's also set in a soulmate timer au. Left arms + legs are romantic, right arms + legs are platonic. It's common for people to have at least two or three, but there are cases where people have more or even less. The timers are a part of the bodies natural chemistry.  
> \- Greed has not deflected from the rest of the homunculi, and maintains his own small section of the family business (this is where the crew from the Devil's Nest come in.) Whether or not he will is yet to be decided  
> \- the mature rating and warning of graphic depictions of violence is for future reference. a lot has been planned and im just warning ahead of time!

Lust wasn’t sure exactly _how_ many times she had caught herself taking quick glimpses at the timer on her left wrist, but here she was, gazing at it again. The book she was reading had long since been abandoned as she watched the numbers on her timer counting down. She shifted her position on the ebony couch so that she was laying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Had she cared enough at the current moment, she would have swiped the book from off of the floor after accidentally kicking it off, but she honestly didn’t give two shits. 

Greed came into the living room, pushing his sister's legs to the side and plopping himself on the couch, somehow not spilling his bowl of cereal, much to his sister’s disapproval. It may have been shortly after noon, but he had just woken up, his hair still a mess. Despite her protest, he just shrugged, and let her place her legs across his lap. 

“Heh, still harping on about your timer, Lust? You’ll be just _fine_ , you’re Lust the Lascivious, after all, who wouldn’t be happy to be with you?” 

Lust couldn’t help but look down at her wrist again, and then she looked over at her brother’s arm, which sported six timers. Platonic ones, as they were on his right arm.

“Says the one who complains about _not_ having a romantic timer, despite having six platonic ones down his right arm!,” She retorted, rolling her eyes.

“Hey! I’m the kind of guy who wants everything I can get, but the universe decided to be a _bitch_ and not let me!,” he paused and took a bite of his cereal, “At least you have someone to spend your life with, no one wants to even _bother_ dating me.” 

“Be glad you _don’t_ have a romantic one. Every time I look down at it, I feel this… _anxiety_ welling up inside of me.” Lust breathed a sigh, attempting to reach for her cell phone, which was sitting on the coffee table. 

“I guess..” he said, reaching over his sister to grab her phone for her off the table, which happened to buzz at the same time as his, indicating what could only be a message to the family group chat.   
“Anyways, what’s yours at now? My last one’s not set to go off for a couple months, but I’m not worried about that. If they're my friend, they're destined to be at least _somewhat_ cool.” 

“If my math isn’t wrong, it’s about… three days from now…” As she grabbed her phone from her brother, Lust showed him the timer on her wrist. 

He got closer and studied the timer for a moment, before backing away,

“Does seem to be that way. Should I plan a night out with the boys then, so you and your lovely soulmate can do whatever your hearts may please?”

Lust smiled sweetly at him. “Could you please hand me that book on the floor, oh, dearest brother?” 

“Oh, uh, sure,” he said, bending over her once again and picking up her rather adult book from the floor and handing it to her, “Here you go, dear sister~” 

She quickly took the book from her brother, smiling again. “Thank you~” She then proceeded to throw the book directly at his face.

He rubbed his cheek for a second, though he was used to this by now. “Oh come _on_ , what was _that_ for?! I was asking a serious question, ya know! If you need me out of your hair, I can go!”

Lust sighed. “The way you worded it made me feel embarrassed..” She gazed up at the ceiling for a moment. 

“Aw, that wasn’t my intention at all, but why the _hell_ are _you_ embarrassed? It’s not uncommon for people to do things when they meet their soulmates, after all.” 

Lust finally adjusted herself so that she was sitting up, looking down as she spoke, “I just… worry.. What if my soulmate finds out about my… _tactics_ … and gets disturbed by that fact?” 

Greed let out a small chuckle at her question, “Would they _really_ be your soulmate if they did? Who knows, maybe they’re involved in all of this! Don’t worry about it, whoever it is, they’ll come to love all of you. Nothing’s _ever_ impossible.” 

“You _might_ be right,” Lust stated, finally deciding to open the group chat that she shared with her siblings.

* * *

 **Punchy McBastard:** Alright guys how the FUCK is everyones day goin?

 **Houseplant From Hell:** i dont know wrath, why dont you ask that to my face, im on the couch next to you after all :) 

**Horny For Food:** IM FUCKING HUNGRY

 **Houseplant From Hell:** we know gluttony :)

 **Punchy McBastard:** Go get some FUCKING food :(

 **Selim Sinclair:** Hey Wrath? Can you please watch your fucking language?

 **Punchy McBastard:** You aren’t my FUCKING father :0

 **Fucking Hypocrite:** DID YOU CHANGE MY FUCKING NICKNAME WRATH

 **Punchy McBastard:**...Maybe :)

 **The Perverted Solar Flare:** He did, I checked the logs :)

 **Fuck Bitches Get Money:** Lust threw a book at me :(

 **The Perverted Solar Flare:** You embarrassed me so I got revenge :)

 **Houseplant From Hell:** do it again lust he deserves it :))

 **Fuck Bitches Get Money:** Ur mean Envy :(

 **Houseplant From Hell:** i know you are but what am i greed ;)

* * *

“You _know_ I’m right, when have I ever truly been wrong?” Greed finally said in reply to his sister. 

Lust narrowed her eyes at him. “ _Don’t_ make me throw the book at you again."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and now we turn to the rest of the homunculi, and see whatever the hell they may be up to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO ENVY TIME y'all know i like writing envy  
> wrath dialogue done by my friend though  
> :3c

Envy sat on the couch, their legs propped up on the back of it and their head dangling off the cushion, texting away to the group chat they shared with their siblings. Teasing their older brother was one of the few pleasures they had in their life, one they rarely got to enjoy, and they decided that they were going to savour this moment. If he hadn't moved a couple towns over, they surely would be annoying him in person, but alas he had, and Envy didn't have it in them to show up unannounced without informing Lust first. 

When it seemed that Greed had stopped responding to their incandescent pestering, they closed their phone and sat it on their lap. Surely by now their head felt weird, having been upside down for long, but they didn't mind and faintly sighed to themself.  _ What could Lust have been embarrassed about earlier? _ They thought, before it dawned on them. Perhaps Lust was worried about her timer again, and Greed had made one of his stupid comments about it. They decided that  _ must _ have been it, as it had happened a couple times before. 

Between the sounds of Sloth snoring away upstairs and Wrath playing Minecraft on his phone, it was actually the quietest the house had been in a good while. Curious and left alone with their thoughts, they brought their left wrist up closer to them, tracing over the small protrusion in their skin.

Wrath suddenly slammed his phone down on the coffee table, a scream of frustration escaping his mouth.

“FUCK YOU, CREEPER!!!” 

The phone’s screen had cracked from the impact of the device being slammed down, though he was too angered to care at that moment. He lightly traced his pale fingers over one of the timers on his left wrist to calm himself somewhat. He inhaled deeply and soon exhaled, making sure that he wasn’t going to completely lose it. He didn’t want to damage anything  _ else. _

“You okay over there, Wrath? Break your phone again over that  _ stupid _ game?,” Envy asked, temporarily breaking their focus on their own timer and looking at their brother, “You need to be more careful, or Father’s gonna be mad at you.” 

Wrath glared at his older sibling, eyes filled with a sudden malice. “You think I _don’t know_ that?!,” he hissed at them, “I promise I’m not _intending_ on throwing the damned thing…” 

“I know, I  _ know _ , but I don’t think  _ any _ of us want to see Father angry when he returns. Just.. just be careful next time,  _ alright _ ?” 

The youngest Sinclair looked down at his feet, which were dangling down from the dark couch cushion. “Alright…” He said softly, punctuating his words with a heavy sigh.

The thundering of footsteps from the stairs caused both of the siblings to look up just in time to see Sloth’s displeased expression as he stormed downstairs.

“WHO WOKE ME FROM MY NAP??!!” He roared, immediately covering his mouth as he yawned loudly.

Wrath timidly hid his face behind his hands, trying to hide the guilt plastered on his features. “S-Sorry…” He apologized meekly, not wanting to get yelled at.

Sloth was about to tear him a new one, though, after seeing the dirty look Envy gave him, he backed off. “It’s  _ fine… _ ” 

He turned to go back upstairs, turning back one last time. “I’m gonna go back to bed.  _ Please _ keep it down,  _ alright? _ ” And he disappeared up the stairs, back to his room. 

As Sloth headed up the stairs and back to his room, Envy finally bothered to fix their position on the couch as they had been upside down for nearly 20 minutes. They rubbed their forehead as the sudden shift made them feel a little lightheaded. As they turned around to face the proper side of the couch, lowering their legs and crossing them in the process, they resumed their previous activity of staring at the timer on their left wrist. It ticked down ever so consistently, as it always had, now reading a little over two months till they would meet their soulmate. They ran their fingers over it once more, feeling the faint pulse from the ticking, wondering just who they would end up with. _Would it be a girl? A boy? Someone who identified as neither just like them?_ They thought. Whoever it is, Greed would know them too, a funny coincidence _that_ was. As much as they hated their older brother, his final timer ticked in tandem with their romantic timer. Both of them _hated_ this fact, thinking that they would meet the same person at the same time. And Envy _hated_ the idea of having to be with someone who closely associated themself with _Greed_ of all people. 

They sighed, turning their focus to their other wrist, where another timer sat, just as plain as the other one. Though it ticked at the same time, it was about a month and a half off from the other. They hoped that whoever this friend was, or whoever their soulmate was for that matter, wasn't wrapped up in all the stuff they had to deal with. 

It was enough having to start to get involved in the family business. They didn't need anyone close to them to be in harm's way. But they usually had rotten luck, and the universe would likely play some sick trick on them and both of them would be deeply involved in it all. 

Envy sighed once more and took out their phone, resuming whatever they had been doing before they decided to pester Greed. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> annnnnd mafia hi jinks and kimblee being kimblee. such a fun time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some things to noteee  
> \- selim controls a branch of the mafia his father controls thats outside of central amestris. despite disliking kimblee, he's one of his best men.   
> \- selim is 26 here so if he's off a bit than how he is in canon, thats why. he's not a child anymore he's just short !!

“Is that all of the packages, boss?” a young, suited man spoke into a nearly empty warehouse. 

“It seems so but.. double-check them. Just to be sure.” spoke another voice, quieter than the last but obviously just wanting to get whatever they were doing  _ over with _ . 

Selim Sinclair adjusted his suit as he stood up, and began walking over to the tall pile of boxes in the center of the room. The pile was higher than he was tall, but that wasn't hard at all. He was no taller than five foot three, but that didn't stop the man from being terrifying to anyone who dared challenge him. Selim was speaking on the phone as he walked, 

“...I don't really  _ care  _ if you're busy at the moment,  _ Solf _ , you're the best man I have for operations like these.” he said, before looking around the room, “and I  _ really  _ can't take another moment with these men. None of them see the operation the same way me and you would. Get here  _ quickly _ .” He sighed heavily as he hung up the phone and began checking the packages himself. The aforementioned Solf showed up about thirty minutes later. He was a tall man, in a nice white suit complete with hat. His long, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, leaving only two small strands gently hanging in front of his face.

“Sorry for being late,  _ Selim _ , but I was in the middle of my own matters. Was looking over packages all you needed me for? You didn't make me come down here for  _ nothing _ , did you?” 

Selim glared at the taller man. He may have been one of his best men but damn did he get on his nerves. If it wasn't for his capabilities with explosions he would have been long gone by now. 

“No. As you can see here-” he gestured to the boxes in front of them, “we just recently got a shipment. But there's a problem, you see.  _ Someone has stolen some of our product. _ And we know just who did it. So..” 

Solf responded as Selim put his hand on his shoulder, “You need me to come with you to pay them a visit and blow the place up?” 

“ _ Precisely _ ! You're the best man for the job, after all.” 

The taller man grinned at Selim, his expression a reflection of his innermost desires.

“Nothing’s better than  _ spicing _ things up with a little  _ destruction _ every now and again!” He stated with a hearty laugh.

“Glad to know you agree. Be ready in 30, I want to get this done with as  _ soon  _ as possible.” 

* * *

The small group of men did not head out till an hour later, much to Selim's dismay. He hated being late with his plans, but his father's men apparently didn't, and they were now an hour off schedule. Luckily, there were only four men – Selim, Solf, and two of the men Selim's father had sent to help him out. Selim and Solf – who is more commonly known as Kimblee – led the group, and Selim silently prayed to himself that Kimblee's entirely white getup would  _ not  _ give them away. Why ever he wore all white while working for the mafia, Selim did not know. 

They all marched over to the location, which luckily for them, was mostly remote. The closest people around the house were nicely out of the blast range, and had they been  _ any  _ closer it would have provided a problem for the four men. There was a glimmer of excitement in Kimblee's eyes as he studied the patterns on his palms, a faint smile creeping across his face.    
They reached the house shortly after, and once they did, Kimblee began his work. It was a shame, as it seemed that the occupants of the house were out for a bit. But blowing up their house without them worked well as a warning  _ at least.  _ His face glowed with glee as he lined up the explosives on either side of the house, connecting them in the back and dragging out a long cord far into the bushes.

As far as Selim could tell, the set up was as follows: explosives were lined up on sides and around the back of the house, with the center one in the back connecting to a cord that led into the bushes. That was where Kimblee would keep the detonator, and set them off before quickly fleeing the scene and getting out of the blast range. He was also sure that there was something either underneath the visible bombs or inside the house that would explode once the heat reached them, providing that extra punch he  _ knew _ Kimblee wanted.

Another few moments and Kimblee motioned to the other three to come closer to him. 

“Things are about to get  _ hot  _ around here, so it's best if the three of you get far away. Couldn't have any of my comrades getting hurt here, now could I?” Another wide smile crept across his face before he spoke again, “Selim, I'll be back in no longer than 40 minutes. If I'm gone for longer, assume I have died happily in the line of duty.” 

Selim nodded in reply to him, and Kimblee happily waved the crew goodbye as they walked away. He was waiting until he could no longer see his fellow men. He may have been rather comfortable with the idea of killing another person but he did not want to get on Selim  _ or  _ his father's bad side, especially with a  _ very important date _ coming up so soon. He was not about to risk losing any of his charm before then. 

In a matter of minutes he could no longer see them. He felt his entire being filled with excitement and joy as he made sure everything was in order and would go as planned, knowing how the sound of the combustion would ring in his ears for  _ hours _ . He held the detonator in his right hand, with his tattoo nicely poking out from around the device. But before he pressed the button, he hesitated, if only for a moment to look at the timer on his left wrist. 

“Three days, huh.” He whispered, before pressing the red button and running as fast as his legs could take him. He turned around as soon as he was out of range, the orange flames flickering in his eyes as the noise rang all around him. Kimblee let out a satisfied sigh and started to walk through the thick forest back to the neighbouring town where Selim was  _ hopefully  _ awaiting him. 

* * *

Kimblee showed up at the cafe that Selim seemed to find himself at forty- _five_ minutes later. Selim glared at him, but it almost seemed that Selim was disappointed to find Kimblee alive and well. 

“How'd it go?” Selim asked, as Kimblee sat himself down across from him.

“Oh just  _ splendid _ ! The house was wrecked by the flames and the occupants will surely find themselves devastated when they return.” 

Selim took a second longer to reply than usual, glancing down at Kimblee's wrist, 

“...Good. You may leave now, Solf. After all, you have a big day to prepare for soon, and I won't get in the way of something like that.”


End file.
